Ask pupils to research how flax grows using these websites and video clips:
- BBC Your Place and Mine: Flax Sowing [article]
- BBC Your Place and Mine: Fermanagh Flax update [article]
- Primitiveways: Bowstring [external link: article]
Key questions include:
- Where does flax grow?
- How is it sown?
- How long does it take to grow?
- What conditions does it need to grow?
Encourage pupils to try growing flax from seed. Print out the diagram of the plant's life-cycle:
- Flax Council Canada: Flax Lifecycle [external link: PDF]
Ask the pupils to record the stages of the growth of their own plants so they can compare this to the diagram. It takes about 100 days for flax to grow from seed to harvest. Traditionally in Ireland the seed was sown on St Patrick’s Day and harvested on the 12th July.
